I pulled away completely from Leo's embrace, but he still kept his hand on my waist, I looked Mitchell's way and he had a frown set on his face as he gazed intensely at me, his eyes fell to Leo's hand on my waist where it remained for a long moment before he gave me a quizzical look.

I glanced at Leo and he looked a lot more relaxed than Mitchell, but his eyes held a spark of curiosity, glancing at the two guys I was currently standing in the middle of, made me realize that I never expected them to ever meet.

"Um, Mitch," I broke the slightly tense silence by gesturing to Leo, "This is Leo," I then gestured to Mitchell, "Leo, this is Mitchell."

Mitchell didn't budge, he stood in his spot and I could see the recollection of whom Leo was dawning down on him, his frown didn't deter but his eyes got a little intense and his lips sat in a straight line.

The silence was becoming thick but none of the guys made a move to greet each other or say anything, I knew Mitch had a stick up his ass most of the time, but Leo wasn't like that; he was always more laidback.

Mitchell's eyes fell on me when he asked, "Limo Leo?"

I was glad the silence was broken but it wasn't what I wanted to hear, I almost forgot Mitchell referred to Leo like that. Knowing Leo, he was going to catch on to what that meant soon and make some inappropriate remark about it.

"Limo Leo?" Leo drawled and within seconds realization coated his features and he smirked, "As in..." He pointed between me and him, "Prom night Limo?"

I wasn't one to get embarrassed easily, hell I barely ever blushed but this was a little awkward. Ever since Leo came back, we never openly spoke about our hook-ups – until now thanks to Mitchell.

"Good times," Leo mused with a grin earning him a 'really' look from me.

"Good times, eh?" Mitchell sarcastically remarked, "I wouldn't refer to someone's first time like that – I mean call me old-fashioned, but it shouldn't be a quickie at the back of a hired vehicle."

'Oh boy, why do I have a bad feeling about this?'

The brief silence thereafter was deafening, I could see the hostility oozing out of Mitchell and I didn't quite understand since he didn't even know Leo.

Leo thankfully didn't take offense – or he didn't show it because he grinned, "I agree, especially when the girl in question is someone like Mila but what can I say," He glanced at me, "when she wants something, she wants it right then and now. I made up for the crappy setting thereafter... many times."

"Alright," I announced, "Can you guys stop talking about my sex life as if I'm not standing right here?"

"Aw Cara," Leo playfully pinched my cheek, "As you wish, we'll talk about it when you're not around."

"Leo," I warned which made him chuckle.

Leo then let go of me and took a step toward a serious-looking Mitchell, "Leo," He offered his hand.

Mitchell was about two or maybe three inches taller than Leo and the way he looked at Leo made me think Mitchell was sizing him down. I watched as Mitchell looked down at Leo's hand then up at him before he lifted his hand and gave Leo's hand a firm shake.

"Mitchell," Mitchell said, his tone gave me a feeling that the two of them weren't going to be pals.

"Mitchell," Leo repeated as he retracted his hand, he looked over his shoulder at me, "As in the Mitchell's whose –"

"Whom I went on a road trip with," I quickly cut him off. I knew exactly what he was about to say – he was going to bring up the vomit thing.

Leo gave me a knowing smirk but thankfully he dropped it. Leo took a step back and placed a hand in his pocket while Mitchell stood in his broody glory.

"Road trip Mitchell," Leo mused, "I heard quite a bit about you."

Mitchell glanced at me and then back at Leo, "I heard a little something about you too."

"I know," Leo dramatically said and gave me a look, "I had no idea Mila went around telling people I'm not a virgin."

"Naughty Mila," He teased, "You know how shy I get with that topic,"

I rolled my eyes, "Oh yeah, so shy."

"Of course," Leo agreed, "Remember how I covered my chest the first time you ripped my shirt off."

I wanted to laugh at how idiotic he was being, "Shut up Leo."

"There it is," Leo grinned looking at my small smile, "Mission accomplished."

"Well, if you'll excuse me," Mitchell cleared his throat, "I'll go freshen up."

I almost forgot Mitchell was in the room, so before he walked off, I called, "Don't take too long, dinner in ten."

Mitchell didn't respond with words, he simply nodded and walked off.

"I'm going to finish off dinner," I said after a moment of silence.

"How about I help you and add some Leo magic to whatever it is you're making?" Leo offered.

"Only if you stay for dinner," I replied.

He looked at me with a horror-struck expression and mumbled, "See ya!" Before turning on his heel to leave.

"Funny." I countered as Leo turned back around and grinned at me.

He slung one arm over my shoulder, "C'mon, let me teach how to make a real meal."

Just like Mitchell was a snob about everything, Leo was a food snob, it might've been in his genes, but he was an exceptional cook, he could make just about anything.

I ended up sitting on the counter while Leo put on my apron and took over the cooking, he seemed to be in his element looking around for the right kind of spices and sauces to enhance the simple stir-fry.

"So, Mitchell..." He began and I wondered when he would bring it up, "He lives here, with you?"

"Yeah, for about two weeks now," I answered, "My ex-roommate moved in with his best friend and he caught them in a... compromising position, so he needed a place to crash until he finds his own."

Leo looked at me over his shoulder, "Define compromising."

"Butt naked on the countertops." I summed it up.

"Nasty," Leo commented before going back to the cooking.

"And is he looking for a place or has he gotten comfortable?" Leo casually asked.

"What are you? My dad?" I countered.

"Keep the claws away, I'm just curious," Leo replied.

"Although I don't think Daddy Brinson would like this little living arrangement." He added as an afterthought.

"My dad doesn't need to know about this," I stated before I went on to say, "To be honest whether Mitchell is looking for a place or not doesn't bother me, I don't mind having him here – it beats living in silence."

"Are you telling me he isn't always such a prude?" Leo asked and I could see why he thought of Mitchell as that – I felt similar when I met him at the restaurant several months ago.

"He grows on you...eventually," I stated.

"The only thing I can see he's grown is a stick up his ass," Leo remarked and I had to do my best to suppress my laughter.

"Be nice," I warned, "Apart from being uptight, a bit of a prude, and having some major anger issues, he's a good guy and can be great company."

Leo swiftly turned around with a spoon in his hand, he stood in front of me and instructed me to open my mouth, I was used to this when he cooked so I chewed down on the food while he waited for my opinion.

"Are you telling me he's not always such a ray of sunshine?" Leo raised a brow before sarcastically adding, "Because I was about to ask if he was related to Ronald McDonald."

"Little more salt and maybe some pepper," I told him once I was done eating.

Leo went back to cooking while I replied to his previous question, "He takes time to open up, but when he does, he can be your best friend."

"Ah but," Leo was back with another spoonful for me to taste, "That role is already taken by me."

"Territorial, aren't we?" I said, "And I think dinner is cooked to perfection."

Leo turned off the flame and headed towards the fridge as he said, "I'm just stating the fact."

"I don't know Leo," I drawled. "Faith can size you up in that department, she was here with me while you were traveling the world and exploring God knows what... or who."

"Do you have any wine in this place?" Leo asked and I shook my head in response.

"Who eats without wine?" He said to himself.

"We live on a student budget; we can only afford water." I smugly retorted.

"Nice one," Leo faked a laugh, "Both your trust funds combined are worth more than this entire building."

"As for Mr. Uppity," He said seriously, "He has easily disregarded you and your relationship before, so all I'll say is be cautious."

"Says the guy who just walked out of my life for five years." I countered.

He looked at me with an ounce of remorse, "I never cut you off, we simply lost touch – there's a difference," He stepped closer to me and placed a hand on each side of the counter and continued as he looked me in the eye, "I would never hurt you, you know, that right?"

His eyes were nothing but truthful and sincere, Leo was right, we did just lose contact – no matter what kind of mood I was in, he was always good to me. We barely fought or argued and even on the rare occasion when we did, he never allowed me to go to bed upset, he always made it a point to cheer me up and fix things.

I nodded and said softly, "I know."

His lips tilted into a small smile and he tapped the tip of my nose, "Come on Amore, time for dinner."

I hopped off the counter and I had to admit the stir-fry was smelling a lot better than when I was cooking, it got my stomach rumbling.

After getting off the counter and grabbing three plates and cutlery, I made my way to lay it on the little four-seat table but as I was about to exit, I bumped into Mitchell. He wore no expression, but I idly wondered how long he was standing there and listening in on Leo's and my conversation.

I gave him a questioning look, "How long have you been standing here?"

He clenched his jaw and relaxed the muscles before nonchalantly answering, "I just got here...Amore."

It seemed he only heard that part, I wasn't surprised at his eavesdropping because Mitchell was nosey, what surprised me was how bitter he made that name sound. Leo was my friend and Mitchell was acting as if he were an enemy or something, I just hoped he would keep his temperament in check and not be a big brute.

With the food in his hands, Leo nodded at Mitchell and walked past us to set it down. My eyes which instinctively followed Leo's movement fell back on Mitchell.

"What's gotten your panties in a knot?" I asked.

He shook his head and exhaled before turning around to make his way to the table.

"Dinner is served, kids." Leo announced once I reached the table, "Bon Appetit."

I was sitting opposite Mitchell and Leo took a seat next to me, I was about to take a serving but stopped when Mitchell said in a very sarcastic way.

"Aren't you the guest, Leo?" He flashed a fake grin, and I didn't miss him looking my way at first.

Leo took a moment before he waved a hand, "Nonsense, we grew up believing mi casa tu casa," Leo glanced my way, "So Mila knows since I cooked, she cleans up."

"Just like old times," I mumbled under my breath.

"You know it, Chubbles," Leo grinned at me.

"Chubbles?" Mitchell's scrunched his face and I agreed with him, that was an awful name.

I groaned, "Don't call me that."

Leo ignored what I said and went on to explain how he came up with the name, Mitchell responded by saying he thought Milo was bad, but Leo won in the game of bad names.

"Mila is one for nicknames," Leo commented, "She must've given you one."

Mitchell's eyes fell on me and for the first time that evening they seemed less intense when he answered, "It's not one I like but yeah she has."

"Although it's been a while since she called me by that name," He added with his gaze burning on me, "These days I'm just Mitchell or Mitch."

I hadn't realized it, but he was right, I didn't refer to him as Bitchell. It wasn't like I was doing it intentionally; it just never came up lately.

"Mitchell is your name isn't it?" I responded when he didn't avert his gaze.

"It wasn't for you." Was his simple response.

Our gazes locked for a moment and I could tell he was once again heading in the direction of asking me what was wrong, I didn't need that so I blinked twice and looked away, taking a sip of water.

"Well," Leo broke the silence, "It can't be as bad as the name she gave me."

"I don't know," Mitchell said as he grabbed the bottle of water in front of him. "Bitchell is not just a bad nickname but can be offensive too."

"Bitchell?" Leo glanced at me and looked like he was about to explode with laughter.

I nodded, "Yeah, it suited him."

Leo couldn't hold in his laughter anymore, "Sorry man, you win this round of bad nicknames."

I couldn't stop the grin from forming on my face as my mind flashed back to the time I came up with that name and how annoyed Mitchell was.

"Only Mila," Mitchell said and he too wore a small smile.

"Yeah, only Mils." Leo agreed.

I didn't quite like the attention, so I cleared my throat and silently ate, the guys followed but after a while, the sounds of cutlery on porcelain were broken by Mitchell's voice.

"Leo," He said and that caught my attention, "Mila mentioned that you two hadn't been in contact for years, when did," He paused and looked between Leo and me, "This happen?"

Leo pointed between the two of us, "This happened almost two decades ago, I think Mila was five and I was almost seven when we first met."

"I know that," Mitchell pointed out, "Which is why before I asked about," He gestured to us, "This, I specifically mentioned you two hadn't been in contact for years."

"But if you want me to simplify it, I meant when and how did you reconnect?" He added.

"You're at Harvard Law, Mitch – I can call you Mitch, right?" Leo said.

Mitchell responded with a nod.

"I knew it," Leo lightly said, "Only Law students are all about the little details and love to make a simple question sound so complex."

I was one-hundred percent sure Mitchell did not like Leo and Leo wasn't stupid, he could see it, but he was being the bigger man by not adding fuel to the fire – although his patience had a limit too. So, to break the tension, I answered Mitchell's question and simply told him Leo was back from an internship he had abroad, and we met at my grandparents' place.

"I see," Mitchell stated, "Now I know what you were doing for the remainder of summer break."

'Oh, so he caught on that I didn't answer his question when he asked what I did after he left.'

"Me." Leo simply stated, and I glared at him.

Mitchell's brows shot up a fraction and he immediately looked my way to confirm or deny what Leo just said.

"I was with family, I told you," I clarified, "Spent it with my grandparents and since Leo's parents live next door, he was a frequent face," I looked over at Leo and offered a half-grin, silently letting him know I was grateful that he was around.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it was you," Leo said before turning to Mitchell, "You should've seen her back in the day, she went through phases. She was first a girly girl who carried a stuffed animal with her everywhere she went, then she grew up into a tomboy – there was a time when she refused to wear anything relatively girly."

"Shut up Leo," I playfully slapped his arm, "Mitch doesn't want to hear all of this."

"I'm curious," Mitchell quickly said, "You enjoyed it when my parents told you the embarrassing tails of my childhood, I want some payback."

"Mila didn't really have embarrassing moments," Leo said, "In fact, I can't even remember a single time she ever felt embarrassed or even blushed."

He gazed at me, "She's always been unapologetically herself."

"One of her best trails, I'd say." Mitchell earnestly said.

Once again, the attention was on me and I didn't like it, "Alright, can we stop talking about me?"

"Actually," Leo chuckled, ignoring my request, "There was one time she was embarrassed, I think she was thirteen and she used to wear these really baggy shirts all of a sudden – I mean they were so big it looked as if she was drowning in it."

"Ugh Leo, stop." I drawled hoping he'd shut up.

Typical Leo ignored me and carried on, "When I asked what was with the wardrobe change, she punched me and ran off."

"Would you shut up?" I requested, already feeling embarrassed.

"I was confused but a few weeks afterward I sort of understood why because the baggy shirts were gone and she started wearing proper sized clothing, but something was different," He grinned at me, "Her boobs were starting to grow in and she was mortified, she thought she could hide them underneath those clothes."

"You're an ass," I pinched him, "Going through changes like that without anyone to guide me was confusing and a little scary."

"Apart from being in my tomboy phase, my only friend back then was a guy, so it was all very embarrassing for me," I added.

Leo laughed and gazed at me softly, "I know but when I think about it now, it's cute."

"No, you find it funny because years later when I was drunk, I told you the only reason I brought up the changes with Mandy was because my boobs bounced way too much when I played sports at school," I said, "So she took me shopping and got me my first set of bras."

After I was done talking, I realized I overshared and sighed while Leo had a goofy grin on his face.

"That part is on you, I wasn't going to get into those details." He remarked and innocently went back to his meal.

"I hate you," I muttered bitterly at him.

He chuckled, leaned over, and kissed the side of my head, "And I adore you."

"Mila and shy," Mitchell spoke, and I realized for a moment I forgot he was still present, "I never thought that could be used in a sentence, I mean after our road trip..."

"Road trip huh?" Leo glanced my way for a second before he looked at Mitchell, "You make it sound as if you two slept together."

"Seriously Leo?" I gave him a 'what the hell is wrong with you' look.

"What?" Leo innocently shrugged, "Being on a weeklong road trip with you is bound to get any heterosexual guy worked up... literally."

"We did not sleep together," I stated.

"Well..." Mitchell drawled, and I raised a brow, curious to see where he was going with this.

"We kinda did Mila," He casually pointed out, "three nights in a row."

"He means that in the innocent sense," I clarified, "We simply shared a bed while being fully clothed."

"Well..." Mitchell repeated, and I looked at him quizzically, "Innocent isn't a word I'd use, at least my numb arms from the morning after would beg to differ."

"Mila and cuddling?" Leo raised a brow, "I thought I was the only exception to the personal space rule?"

What was with these two and their competitiveness? It was starting to work on my nerves. I was ready to take my plate and go eat in my room.

"Can we change the subject, please?" I coolly requested.

"Changing the subject isn't going to change the facts, Mils." Mitchell humourlessly grinned at me.

I liked that Leo never pursued anything I didn't want or like, so he ignored Mitchell's words and